The night's coming to stay
by Klingon-of-MiddleEarth
Summary: A dire fate. A destined one. A fatal blow. A corrupt kingdom. which of these will cause the once pure intentions of a small boy trying to save his kingdom to fail?


A dire fate. A destined one. A fatal blow. A corrupt kingdom. which of these will cause the once pure intentions of a small boy trying to save his kingdom to fail?

As Albel, a tall, imposing figure of a Gerudo, stood just outside of a tent she looked outward to the dusky rolls and waves of the sand as the sun made it's way down behind them, allowing darkness to creep upon the land. One could be forgiven for mistaking this woman for a man at first glance; her towering height, broad shoulders, and muscles put even the haughtiest of the Hyrulian guards to shame, but still a distinct feminine beauty could just as easilly be found in her features, eyes, and grace. Her age showed upon her face, not an old woman, but it was clear her youth was behind her. Faint cries suddenly were heard from behind her in the tent; a baby had just been born. Usually, this was a cause for celebration amoungst the Gerudo, but the cries of the baby only brought fear upon her heart, and not many things did. If there was one time, above all else, that the wise women were to be wrong, it would be now.

She took a deep breath before turning and quickly making her way inside. Whispers and mutterings rampaged as if from nowhere once beyond the curtain, scarcely drowning out the bawing of a newborn. The tent was filled with mid wives and elders, but all became silent and stared as the hulking Gerudo entered; their eyes said all. Holding onto a small shred of hope, (or was it disbelief?) Albel made her way through the people, but at a restrained pace. The elders and midwives all parted way silently as she walked toward the sound of a crying infant. As the remaining women parted way, she saw a young, beautiful Gerudo woman, lying half dead on a pile of furs, blankets covering her, and kneeling next to her was a midwife, holding out a baby to the lying woman.

"We're sorry, Albel." Came a hushed voice from behind her "We tried everything we could to stop the bleeding-" Albel held up a hand, silencing the voice. She then knelt down to the sicly woman's side. Even through the paling of her skin, and the struggled breaths of her mouth, the sickly woman smiled down at the infant in her arms. She barely could take her eyes away from her child.

"L-look, mother." She said to Albel through strained lips "Isn't he beautiful?"

"Hush now, child" Albel said with a whisper, as she put her hand gently against her daughter's face. "Save your strength." Albel looked down at the crying infant; a very large child that her daughter's arms began to tremble to hold. Albel placed her hand to help support the baby's weight. This child could bring joy only to his mother, as all else stared down at him with fear and contempt, Albel being no different. "I'll...name him..." The young Gerudo paused as her eyelids grew heavy. "H...his name...Dorf." She said weakly, smilling all the while. She took as deep a breath as she could and began to hum a lullaby, causing the baby to stop crying, and whisked him to sleep. She finished the lullaby with her last breath and she closed her eyes to sleep as well, her arms fell at her side as Albel put her second hand underneath the still sleeping child. Her eyes however were focused on the limp body of her daughter, pain, hatred, and weakness filled her beyond full, but one wouldn't have known from looking upon her.

"The elders." Said a mysterious voice from behind; breaking a long silence after the lullaby. "Their dreams were true after all: A boy shall be raised in a land devoid of his brethren kind, and shall grow strong in seemingly short time and shall boldly rise against a powerful king in his own castle, and shall banish him, shaking all the kingdoms of the land thoughout the ages."

"Surely, the king of Hyrule will seek this boy's life, and will grieve all Gerudo kind for it!"

"He can't stay here; the Hylian army will march down upon us!"

"Will he not be able to lead us against them as the Gerudo kings in the ancient times?"

"I will not bow to any man, Gerudo or not!"

"The Gerudo will be ravaged before he can grow to such power."

"This boy is a curse!"

"How will this boy cause such destruction?!"

"Can we not stop this prophecy now? Why let all our sisters suffer for some boy?!"

"Yes, we can end his life and prophecy of terror at the budding!"

"SILENCE!" Roared Albel, her voice like a rumbling thunder. All the people in the tent stood back, as if from a lioness. The hulking woman stood to her mountainous height and turned, the child held against her chest. "If any of you dare so much as think another ill thought towards my grandson, who my only daughter died baring, I'll pull your lungs out and leave you in the desert at midday!" The giantess looked around; none dare even look her in the eye. "We are not savages like the monsters that lurk in the desert, nor are we cowards like Hylians ducking feeble-kneed in their castles. We are going to raise this boy like the proud Gerudo he is!" After a silence, one broke it from among the heads.

"But, Albel, the Hylian king will surely do all he can to end this child, and will not stop for anything until he finds him. What shall we do?"

"I will take him, and raise him as if he were my own." Albel said, looking down, unsure if she could. She could raise him easily, but as her own would be the hard part. "I will take a horse and leave, going from town to town, hiding him from the coward king's soldiers until he is of age." She looked back up to the people. "Whatever trials, strife, and hardships will follow we shall endure, as we have always done."

"The king in the grassy lands has as many eyes as there are blades of grass beneath his feet, and as many ears as the sands of the desert, how will you keep the child secret from the king of Hyrule?"

"I'll worry about that, but tell no one of this boy, say that it was a girl that was born, and that the elders' dreams came not to fruition. Keep it secret, if only to buy us a few days time. Now, disperse, and put on mourning garments and prepare the funeral for my daughter." At her word, the whole tent emptied and prepared for the funeral. Albel took to her knee once more beside her daughter; brushing some stray hairs from her daughter's face. "I'm sorry, my child." She whispered, her grief no longer able to be contained. "A mother shouldn't bury her daughter, and a much less a mother shouldn't leave her burial to others, but I need to. Sleep on, my child, I will join you one day." Albel put her daugter's hands on her abdomen, then noticed the necklace around her daughter's neck. It was a orange oval shaped jewel, the one that she had given to her when she came of age. She took it again, that it would remind her of her daughter, and with a kiss on her forehead, she left the tent, prepared provision and the fastest horse, and fled past the blue tinted waves of sand and dust.

The moon has risen high, and the sun has gone down, and the cold winds are now beginning to howl, when shall the sun return?

As the sun went down beneath the horizon, a certain young Gerudo woman watched Albel disappear behind the curtain of the tent. She watched intently from a distance, wishing she were inside of it. She continued her patrol around the camp, all the while trying to keep an eye on that particular tent. The rumors had been spreading around all month since the Elder's dreams, they had even reached the ears of the King of Hyrule, and no doubt his wisemen had warned him. She deviated from her patrol route, trying to remain as close to the tent as possible. Her nerves began to wreck, she had to know. Maybe if she could get close enough to peek inside. No, there's another patrol woman coming this way. Again, the second time a different woman was too close for her to. Night patrol had always been busy, but tonight especially. It a boy was born again into the Gerudo, they had to make sure no spies heard of it.

But the young Gerudo was beginning to lose patience, dusk had turned into night, and the moon was climbing up the stars. Perhaps now, yes, now, while the others are away. She found an opening where two cloths met, and part just enough to peek through: Nothing but the hustling of a large group of people; they were clearly arguing unintelligible things. The young Gerudo scout placed her ear to the whole, and immediately, as if a signal horn had been sounded, a loud shout rang in her ear, causing her to jump back and fall on her rear in the sand. She panickedly got to her feet and continued as if her patrol, hoping no one saw.

After a few more minutes that felt like hours, she decided to try again, but as she approached the curtain, a large number of people came spewing out, pulling her back with them. Confused she looked around, where were they going? The busy crowd made their way around the camp in a hurry, as if preparring something. The young Gerudo went to the closest.

"What's happening? What is it? Where they true? Where the rumors true?" She asked as silently as she could through her veil. The busy woman barely heard her and took a few seconds to answer.

"What? Oh-The elder's dreams have not come true this night." She said "We prepare for the burial of Albel's daughter, who died birthing her daughter tonight." and they zoomed off. It didn't make sense, why was she acting strange? She looked back at the tent, and still heard the cries of a baby, she began to make her way to the entrance, and just as she was a few yards away, emerged the unmistakable figure of Albel, her vast frame moving quickly, carrying something in her arms: a baby, a monster sized one. She almost trampled her in her hast, and acted as strange as the rest of the ones who came from the tent. The young Gerudo watched her suspiciously. As half the camp prepared for her daughter's funeral, Albel prepared as if to leave. Food, water, a basket, and a horse.

'Now where are you off to?' The young Gerudo thought to herself, and followed the hulking giant inconspicously. She followed her past the outer reaches of the camp and hid behind a boulder, and watched as Albel laided the horse and, with the baby in one arm, mounted it. As she did the baby's cloth that it was wrapped in slipped, and the young Gerudo saw. She gasped. The hulking giant's head snapped in her direction, and the young Gerudo barely hid herself in time behind the boulder. It was true, the first Gerudo male to be born in generations, had been born this night. It didn't take long for the giantess to continue on her way, she was in a hurry. The young sentinel watched her ride away until she was no longer visable.

Then looking to make sure no one else saw her, she snuck her way to the stables and carefully took a horse and snuck out the camp. It was easy, what with the others being so distracted. She took the horse on the opposite side of the camp of where Aldel left, and rode off into the direction of the kingdom of Hyrule.

She rode and kept riding, even as the sun rose and heated on her and her horse. She rode until the sands became rough, dry terrain, and until that became a dry, grass-patched ground, and until that became a land full of lush, green grass. She only stopped for watering her horse and drinking herself and for the neccesary rest.

At long last, she viewed upon the grassy hill clad horizon Castle Town of the kingdom of Hyrule. She slowed to a trot as she approached the gate, a guard meeting her by the way. The plated armour, the white skin, the green fields, it all seemed to strange after such a long time with the Gerudo. As the guard approached, he asked for papers. She had none, she needed none. She pulled from her bra an ensignia, the ensignia of the royal family of Hyrule. Without question the guard stood aside and signed for the guards to let her through.

Many people in Castle town were too busy to notice, but those who did, gave the strange Gerudo foreigner a second look, some out of wariness, some out of surprise, some out of attraction as her Gerudo desert attire was relatively sparce compared to Hylian clothing. What they did not know was that the young Gerudo woman was in fact not a Gerudo. She was as Hylian as they were, one of the few black-skinned ones. Her hair had been straighened by expensive potions, and with bleach and dyes had her once black hair been turned bright red-orange. She learned the language and customs of the Gerudo and blended among them as she was commanded by the king of Hyrule.

She was escorted through the enormous castle by a young guard, who tried not to stare at the attractive young woman he was escorting. They entered the throne room. The young guard, with a blowing of a trumpet, and with a shouting declaration, announced the Hylian spy to the king and his counsel, mainly being a few old men and an owl that was big enough to carry a full grown man away and whose head spun at seemingly random, uncontrollable times, but always looked right side up. The king's son also was present. The guard began to continue with titles and customary introductions.

"What news bring ye of the desert folk?" The old king asked plainly, interrupting the guard. The spy took a knee and bowed to the king before answering.  
"The two-headed owl's clairvoyant counsel was true. Three days and a night ago I witnessed a Gerudo boy newborn." The room quickly became unsettled, even the old king sat up in his chair.

"Are you certain?!" Demanded the king through weezing lips.

"I saw him myself, your grace. As clear as I see you now." The counsel began to murmur and panick, trying to keep silent as to not chance a passing guard hear it.

"So the prophecy is true? Will this Gerudo march upon us and slay our king?"

"We musn't be hasty, it may be a fluke."

"A Gerudo boy is only born once a century; it's no fluke."

"What are we to do? What can stop this?!"

"Silence!" Barked the king, immediately followed by coughing. After he had finished coughing and righted himself he continued. "If this part of the prophecy has come true, then we are safe to assume that the rest will as well." He took a breath before continuing. "We then are rightful in doing what we can to defend the royal family, and the kingdom, and it's inhabitants. We must find this boy, and end him."

"But he's just a baby!" Protested the prince. "He's done no wrong!"

"He will once he becomes a man!" The king barked back.

"We don't know that!" the prince continued. "The birth of one boy does not destroy kingdoms! We cannot take the life of an innocent!"

"One life is nothing compared to the thousands that could be lost! Our kingdom!"

"Only a foul and cowardly kingdom slays the innocent in fear!"

"I am king! It is my duty to protect my people, and protect them I shall!" He barely got the last word out before he began another coughing fit, and fell out of his chair. The owl being perched beside him, caught him, and helped him back up. After a few minutes his breathing was still heavy, but he continued. "Look at me, am I long for this world? I'm old, and near the end of my journey, it is _your_ kingdom, it is _your_ people that I'm trying to protect. For if this prophecy comes to pass, it will happen on your head. I fear not for my sake, but yours. It shall be done, the boy shall die, and I'll hear no more about it." The king then turned back to the spy. "Does the boy still abide in the camp you left?"

"No your grace, immediately after he was born, he was taken by elder, Albel, and she rode upon a horse's back into the desert away from the kingdom."

"Then you shall return, and track her, and tell her whereabouts to us."

"What!" Protested the prince once more. "She's already risked her life sneaking among their people once, let her be!"

"She's the only one who knows the Gerudo well enough to get inside their deserts and track down the prophecy child. Her talent and position can't be easily replaced, and especially not in time to catch up to the old Gerudo."

"She could get killed!"

"Then let her answer for herself, is it not her life? Go on, speak freely, my lady. Do you wish to return or tarry?" The spy looked up to the king, and to her prince.

"I am sworn to the crown, and to protect it. I will return, my liege, and go amongst the Gerudo once more to root out this threat to the crown and to the kingdom."

"Then let it be no more spoken of. It is decided. Go, my lady, and rest, for you shall depart when you are ready." The counsel disbanded. It was later in the evening, and the Gerudo spy was tired. She had been provided an excellent room, one with a large window and balcony, with an excellent view of the city at night. She loved such views.

"Why don't you just jump?" A voice came from behind. It was the prince. "You clearly are wanting to get yourself killed, a jump from this height would be much faster." She turned to see the prince, looking out to the night sky, troubled, as he spoke to her.

"Your majesty." She began to bow down to him. He took his hand and gently placed it underneath her chin and raise her eyes to his.

"How many times must I tell you? You never have to bow to me." He said before kissing her. "I don't want you to go." He said, after they had embraced. "You just came back to me after disappearing for 8 months. Surely there is another."

"There is no other, I alone know Albel enough to track her."

"She's a giant, brooding, vulture I hear, surely such a woman can't be hard to track."

"She's as cunning as she is large."

"Then what if she catches you?"

"She won't, she's wily, but I'm doubly so."

"But if she does?"

"Then promise me something."

"Anything for you."

"Promise me that if anything befalls me, that you'll take another to be your wife."

"I can't make that promise, I-"

"Promise me! I go again not to serve the king or the kingdom, but for you. Your safety is why I go, but will it be for nothing if you die without a child? Promise me."

"...I promise...I promise to continue my name, but not mine only, but yours as well. For if any harm befalls you, I'll have my first daughter named after your name. She shall be called princess Zelda." The spy smiled.

"That has a nice ring to it." She said. "You always said my name was fit for royalty."

"Indeed, now promise me this."

"Hm?"

"Promise me that you won't make me have to name my first daughter Zelda." Zelda took hold of the prince's hand.

"I promise."


End file.
